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Edmonton Oilers place Nikita Nikitin on injured reservehttp://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2014/12/08/edmonton-oilers-place-nikita-nikitin-on-injured-reserve/
http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2014/12/08/edmonton-oilers-place-nikita-nikitin-on-injured-reserve/#commentsMon, 08 Dec 2014 18:25:22 +0000http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/?p=211801In Edmonton, there really isn’t any question as to which of this summer’s additions has been the most disappointing. Now a back injury has defenceman Nikita Nikitin out of the lineup entirely.

Nikitin was signed to a two-year deal in …

]]>In Edmonton, there really isn’t any question as to which of this summer’s additions has been the most disappointing. Now a back injury has defenceman Nikita Nikitin out of the lineup entirely.

Nikitin was signed to a two-year deal in the summer as a stop-gap option who could help stabilize the Oilers’ blue line until such time as their impressive young prospects (people like Oscar Klefbom, Darnell Nurse and Martin Marincin) were ready to take the reins. A 28-year-old veteran of 200-plus NHL games and nearly 300 more in the RSL/KHL, Nikitin was supposed to provide a bit of everything, combining size and defensive awareness with an ability to move the puck, a heavy shot and the versatility to line up on the right or left side of the depth chart.

Instead, Nikitin has struggled badly in Edmonton. Mobility issues have limited him, and while he and fellow vet Mark Fayne have worked well together at times he’s been absolutely wretched when paired with Justin Schultz in a soft minutes role. It’s unclear which player was acting as the anchor on that pairing, but both put in some of their very worst performances as a tandem.

Injuries haven’t helped. It was expected that Nikitin would miss the start of the 2014-15 season after suffering an ankle injury in training camp; instead he made a surprisingly quick comeback and was able to play in the Oilers’ opener against Calgary. Back problems have been mentioned several times this season as an issue, and he reinjured his back on Wednesday against Winnipeg and hasn’t played since.

Putting Nikitin on injured reserve at this point (assuming that it’s retroactive to Thursday) means that he will miss Edmonton’s two-game road trip to California (the Oilers play San Jose on Tuesday and Anaheim on Wednesday) but would be eligible to return on Friday when the Ducks visit Edmonton. That’s speculation on my part; as of this writing all we know for sure is that Nikitin has a back problem.

This isn’t a move that’s likely to have much short-term impact on the team. The left side of the defence has a whole lot of players without much separation between them, and the 2014-15 version of Nikitin hasn’t been clearly better than skaters like Klefbom, Marincin or Keith Aulie. In fact, there’s a pretty decent argument that he’s been worse.

Long-term, there may be some benefit if the time off helps Nikitin. At his very best, Nikitin formed an exceptional pairing alongside Fedor Tyutin in Columbus, and that’s a player that the Oilers’ weak defence corps could really use. Nikitin may not be able to recapture that form (and there isn’t a Tyutin on the Oilers’ current roster) but some time off to heal might help stabilize his game.

]]>http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2014/12/08/edmonton-oilers-place-nikita-nikitin-on-injured-reserve/feed/0nikita-nikitinjonwillis6312.8.14 Nikitin IRThe Edmonton Oilers’ rookie head coach sounds completely ready for the job ahead“Why would you not want that?” Mike Reilly on the CFL not taking on sideline neurologistshttp://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2014/06/08/why-would-you-not-want-that-mike-reilly-on-the-cfl-not-taking-on-sideline-neurologists/
http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2014/06/08/why-would-you-not-want-that-mike-reilly-on-the-cfl-not-taking-on-sideline-neurologists/#commentsSun, 08 Jun 2014 21:44:24 +0000http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/?p=201691As players across the CFL absorbed the ins and outs of their proposed agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement on Sunday, Mike Reilly was thinking about last season.

Reilly remembers the helmet-to-helmet hit that he took in a game …

]]>As players across the CFL absorbed the ins and outs of their proposed agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement on Sunday, Mike Reilly was thinking about last season.

Reilly remembers the helmet-to-helmet hit that he took in a game against the Toronto Argonauts on Sept. 28. It took him out of the game in the first quarter, gave him his first diagnosed concussion as a CFL player and kicked off a controversial week when he was later medically cleared to play just six days later against Montreal.

Those things were on his mind on Sunday because the idea of having an independent neurologist on the sidelines for games was one of the things that slipped off of the table in the new CBA that players and CFL governors will ratify this week.

“I don’t see why you wouldn’t do that,” Reilly said. “In a game where brain injuries happen so often, why not have a specialist on the sideline? It doesn’t make any sense not to. I think we saw here last year with my situation how much scrutiny was placed on our medical staff. They did everything to the tee, how they were supposed to do it and they were still being put under the microscope.”

“I think if you have a specialist on the sideline it takes pressure off the rest of the staff and it says, ‘OK, no one is going to question that person because they’re specifically there for that reason,'” Reilly said.

“I think it’s an awesome idea for the players’ safety and for the league. Why would you not want that? It’s going to protect you from lawsuits down the road. I think it’s a good idea for everyone.”

]]>http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2014/06/08/why-would-you-not-want-that-mike-reilly-on-the-cfl-not-taking-on-sideline-neurologists/feed/0Mike ReillyolearychrisMike Reilly diagnosed with a concussionhttp://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2013/09/29/mike-reilly-diagnosed-with-a-concussion/
http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2013/09/29/mike-reilly-diagnosed-with-a-concussion/#commentsSun, 29 Sep 2013 21:11:18 +0000http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/?p=179621It’s not surprising news but it is bad none the less for the Edmonton Eskimos.

]]>It’s not surprising news but it is bad none the less for the Edmonton Eskimos.

Mike Reilly has a concussion, the team announced on Sunday afternoon, and the first-year starting quarterback is entering into the waiting game that comes with post-concussion protocol.

“Reilly will continue to be evaluated and once asymptomatic will follow a standardized return-to-play protocol,” a statement on the Eskimos’ website says.

Reilly took a helmet-to-helmet hit on the back of his head in the first quarter of Saturday night’s loss to the Toronto Argonauts, from defensive lineman Cleyon Laing. The team’s statement says that Reilly was evaluated after that hit and that he did not display any concussion-like symptoms. He stayed in the game for one more play, threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Shamawd Chambers and was done for the night.

“After that play, he returned to the sidelines and was thoroughly examined by one of our team physicians,” the statement says. “After that evaluation, Reilly started to experience symptoms of a concussion. At that point he was removed from the game, observed for the remainder of the game and again examined by our physicians after the game. ”

Following post-concussion protocol, there is no timetable for Reilly’s return.

At 3-10, the Eskimos’ playoff hopes were slimmed by their 34-22 loss on Saturday and took another big blow on Sunday afternoon. The Montreal Alouettes pulled out a 17-12 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders, improving to 5-8 and opening up a two-game spread between them and the Eskimos, who are hoping for a crossover playoff berth.

To get that crossover spot in the CFL East, Edmonton — possibly without Reilly — would have to close that two-game gap and finish ahead of Montreal in the standings, all within the final five games of the season. The Alouettes play in Edmonton on Saturday.

]]>http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2013/09/29/mike-reilly-diagnosed-with-a-concussion/feed/0Reilly 2olearychrisMatt Nichols leaves Eskimos’ preseason game with right knee injuryhttp://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2013/06/14/matt-nichols-leaves-eskimos-preseason-game-with-right-knee-injury/
http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2013/06/14/matt-nichols-leaves-eskimos-preseason-game-with-right-knee-injury/#commentsSat, 15 Jun 2013 02:24:10 +0000http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/?p=168498Matt Nichols’ audition as the Edmonton Eskimos’ starting quarterback came to an early conclusion on Friday night.

Nichols suffered a right knee injury at the 14-minute mark of the first quarter of Edmonton’s Canadian Football league preseason game against the …

]]>Matt Nichols’ audition as the Edmonton Eskimos’ starting quarterback came to an early conclusion on Friday night.

Nichols suffered a right knee injury at the 14-minute mark of the first quarter of Edmonton’s Canadian Football league preseason game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He’d just thrown his second interception of the game and was trying to stop Riders’ defensive back Carlos Thomas from running into the end zone.

Nichols hit the ground and rolled over, holding his right knee. He was helped off of the field by the Eskimos’ trainers, examined on the sidelines and was carted off of the field with Mike Reilly assuming control of the Eskimos’ offence.

Shortly after Nichols left the game, 630 CHED’s Dave Campbell posted on Twitter that Nichols was handed crutches when he got to the Eskimos’ locker-room. There has been no confirmation on the severity of the injury.

The Eskimos’ highly-touted return man, Tavoy Moore, has also left the game with a lower-body injury and will not return.

Nichols finished the night two-for-five with two interceptions with 86 yards.

The game is airing live on 630 CHED and on TSN.

More to come…

]]>http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2013/06/14/matt-nichols-leaves-eskimos-preseason-game-with-right-knee-injury/feed/0olearychrisEdmonton Oilers prospect Tyler Pitlick out indefinitely with a serious knee injuryhttp://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2013/01/21/edmonton-oilers-prospect-tyler-pitlick-out-indefinitely-with-a-serious-knee-injury/
http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2013/01/21/edmonton-oilers-prospect-tyler-pitlick-out-indefinitely-with-a-serious-knee-injury/#commentsTue, 22 Jan 2013 02:02:41 +0000http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/?p=146117The news just gets worse for Tyler Pitlick. His rookie AHL season was rocky; his sophomore season has been worse than that. Now, after the first time he managed to pick up points in consecutive games comes the news that …]]>The news just gets worse for Tyler Pitlick. His rookie AHL season was rocky; his sophomore season has been worse than that. Now, after the first time he managed to pick up points in consecutive games comes the news that a knee injury could put him on the shelf for six weeks or even longer.

It’s really disappointing. We’ve been through this with a lot of your young guys where we get a guy like Tyler where it’s been a tough year for him but this weekend he played some really good hockey, had a couple of assists and started to turn the corner. Then in the third period he got tangled up with a guy and his right knee is really bothering him. Right now, as we speak, he’s getting an MRI done and until we get the results off that we can’t determine how long he’s going to be out for.

Stauffer asked Nelson for a ballpark timeline.

I think, speculating, hopefully I’m wrong, at least six weeks. I don’t want to put a number on it, but if it is six weeks, from the early news we got that might be good news for us. Hopefully everything’s fine; we’ll see what happens.

This was expected to be the year Tyler Pitlick showed what he could do as a professional. After a rough start to his minor-league career he had a strong second half last season and continued to play well in the post-season. Instead – despite an early push from Nelson – he struggled in a lockout-strengthened AHL. He opened the season with two assists in four games, went pointless in 16, scored a goal, and then went pointless in nine prior to managing two assists over the last two games.

His struggles have been somewhat difficult to understand – even allowing for a November concussion that slowed him down. Pitlick has solid physical tools – he’s a decent skater, has good size and a hard shot, and plays a relatively physical game. He does have a tendency to shoot from outside prime scoring locations, and he’s paid for that, scoring just eight goals on 182 career AHL shots (4.3 shooting percentage). As bad as that sounds, he’s been worse this season than last, scoring just the one goal on 52 shots. He hasn ot exactly racked up the assists either, recording just four over 32 games.

Now he has what sounds like a very serious knee injury, one that could cost him six weeks or even more. As an NHL prospect, he’s in free fall.

It’s all in the eyes of the beholder. Some people look askance when they hear the NHL and its union, the NHLPA, have – yet again – engaged in …

]]>By PETER ADLER

The Cult of Hockey @ The Edmonton Journal

It’s all in the eyes of the beholder. Some people look askance when they hear the NHL and its union, the NHLPA, have – yet again – engaged in a debate of such secondary issues as the players’ health care. Others might say the opposite: at long last the two sides agreed to debate something meaningful.

The main issue here is that there is no league-wide policy for teams to follow when searching out and hiring the best medical help they can get. There can hardly be anything even resembling such a policy, given that the Canadian health care system differs wildly from what they have south of the 49th parallel.

A respected Canadian physician who has devoted a significant part of his career to working with professional sports teams has shared an article by Chris Botta of theSports Business Journal. Botta described a new deal the Dallas Stars of the NHL have signed with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. The club, Botta explained, has gone from using several specialists who work around north Texas, to consolidating all their care under one roof.

And here’s the part that raised quite a few eyebrows: In exchange for the privilege of being the Stars’ singular medical provider, UT Southwestern has agreed to make a six-figure payment to the team for each year of the five-year agreement.

For that, Botta explains they get a lot in return.

UT Southwestern receives dasher board and LED signage, a website banner, and advertising via the team’s yearbook, game program and Stars Insider e-mail.

As another part of the deal, the Stars’ Hockey Pulse microsite will also feature wellness and sports medicine tips from UT Southwestern staff. The hospital will have its logo on the Stars’ practice jerseys and become the presenting sponsor of the Stars’ efforts for Hockey Fights Cancer, a league-wide initiative.

Basically, what the school gets is a ton of advertising. For a six-figure cheque that, one expects, didn’t bounce, why not, you might ask.

After all, many experts consider the University of Texas Southwestern medical school one of the top such schools in the U.S., and it’s close to American Airlines Arena, the home of the Stars, so, if there’s an emergency, an injured player can be on an operating table within minutes of sustaining a serious boo-boo.

Is there anything wrong with this picture?

Come to think of it, yes, there is.

Not all of the NHL clubs are anywhere near an excellent medical school. Some of the clubs that aren’t among the top one-third in the NHL so far as finances go, have been cutting corners wherever they can. Players are lucky to be getting first opinions and occasionally surgeries from doctors whose companies bought a suite, a dasher board ad, space in the program or whatever else comes to mind and is for sale. Basically, the highest bidder gets to treat the players.

No wonder, then, that players are somewhat concerned. They do care specifically about getting the best available care: their entire livelihood depends on their physical health, after all.

Matters in Canada are different: Canadians take their hockey seriously, and that includes teams’ front offices. They hire the best medical people in their regions, co-operate with local universities’ medical schools and, more specifically, with their sports medicine and surgery departments. The payment schemes differ, too: Canadian doctors’ basic services are covered by the country’s healthcare plans, that may differ by the provinces, but only slightly so.

There have been alarming stories coming out of the U.S. even in relatively recent years. Eric Lindros had his issues with the Philadelphia Flyers’ medical staff, and his relationship with the club’s management and ownership became so frosty as a result, everybody concerned was relieved when Lindros moved on.

Speaking of those same Flyers, Dave Babych was awarded $1.37 million US by a jury in 2002, as compensation for lost wages ($1.02 million) and $350,000 US for pain and suffering.

The six-woman, three-man jury ruled that improper treatment of a broken left foot forced the former Philadelphia Flyer defenceman to end his career prematurely.

Babych had long claimed his 18-year NHL career was cut short because the Flyers forced him to play injured.

Would any self-respecting doctor accept it if a club forced his patient to return to work prematurely? Perhaps not, but then-coach Roger Neilson, Babych told court, relying on the team surgeon’s information rather than on what the player was telling him, ordered him to play. Having diagnosed Babych’s broken bone as a bone bruise, the only thing then-Flyers’ team doctor Dr. Arthur Bartolozzi did was that he injected pain-numbing solutions into the injured defenceman’s fractured foot.

All of this, of course, raised quite a few legitimate questions about the arm-length relationship between a club and its medical people, something that is not so easy to maintain when the physicians have a contract that adds substantial amounts to the club’s coffers.

There has been, of course, the recent controversy concerning Sidney Crosby’s health, with accusations flying all over the place that these or those doctors have misdiagnosed the Pittsburgh Penguins star.

No wonder, then, that the players put questions of their health care on par with the so-called core economic issues in the current negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement. The league would be wise to concede that the players may actually have a valid point.